I recently stumbled onto a blog from Panda Security that focuses on “emerging threats” on the internet. Typically, with this kind of site or blog, the terminology and explanations are a bit over my head. Shockingly, the authors of the PandaLabs blog have managed to relay information on these threats in bite-sized, easy to understand articles that I don’t mind reading. When a threat is uncovered, they write a blog post with the information, including screen shots and a few details about the threat and then update their Twitter and Facebook accounts. I follow them on Twitter and now I have a better feel for what is going on in the ever-changing threat landscape.
If you are interested in this type of information, I strongly urge you to follow PandaLabs. However, I know how busy most people are and that they probably haven’t scheduled much time for following the latest malware threats of the world, so I plan on using Panda Security as a resource and relaying the information to you via the JumpstartMyPC.com blog.
The Threats
Yesterday, PandaLabs presented a blog post on Amazon and “greeting card” emails that are distributing malware designed to steal information. Here is what PandaLabs had to say about the threats.
Amazon Threat
“…seems to have been sent by Amazon and informs you that they have received your payment and your order has been already sent. In order to check your tracking number, have a look at the attached document.”
The message from Amazon states that your package has been paid and a parcel number is included. Short story, this is a scam. There is a .zip file attached that contains malware. DO NOT open the email or the attachment.
Greeting Card Threat
“The other type of emails uses a very typical bait to trick users: greeting cards. We’ve received nearly 5,000 messages in the last three days.”
This email message states that you have an eCard to pick up and you need to click on a link. Follow the link and your computer will be infected. This malware will try to steal your personal information. Again, DO NOT click on the link. PandaLabs was nice enough to provide an screen shot of the email, in case you want to jump over to their article and check it out.
Keep an eye out on our blog, Twitter or Facebook pages (links available on the right side of this page). We’ll let you know when Panda has pinpointed something we need to look out for. In the mean time, happy surfing.
Tags: Amazon, greeting card, Malware, Panda Security, PandaLabs, Security, Threat
